It’s a little sobering you know?  Seeing that team your team beat win the world championship.

Cowboys fans everywhere are reeling and there is nothing we can do about it.  A new season is upon us and it starts with an offseason that will be fairly quiet around Dallas Cowboys Nation.  There is one question, though, that needs answering and many people want it to be answered soon.

Will the Cowboys be playing at home in the 2011 Super Bowl?

I think the answer is maybe.

They have the talent, athleticism, and coaching.  They have the leadership and skill.  They do not have a coosh schedule, so if they do make it, you certainly better believe they deserved it.

There are many questions but I can promise you this—Tony Romo will be prepared for next season. His career year in ’09 proves that to all the critics.  Is he elite? Probably not yet, but he has the potential to be.

DeMarcus Ware will help make sure this defense is at its best next year.  Lastly, I promise that Jerry Jones will make sure this is a team capable of winning a championship.

That’s right, I said it. Jerry Jones is the key to this whole thing.

If he keeps the locker room cohesiveness that he doesn’t even believe in, if he trusts the leaders he paid, and the coaches he appointed, Dallas will be playing in next years championship game.

With Donovan McNabb in limbo, the Saints loosing a lot of players, Kurt Warner and Brett Favre gone, and Green Bay remaining inconsistent, the possibilities are endless with this talented Dallas Team.

Vegas odds are 15-2 for—you think they’ll make it? I do.

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See, there it is. That’s just the kind of statement that I’m tired of seeing when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys. “The Cowboys must win on Saturday to make last week’s win meaningful …” As if to say that blowing out the Eagles last week wasn’t an accomplishment, a great game, a big win, or a stellar defensive effort if the Cowboys can’t win this coming week?

Last I checked, we didn’t take any gambles against Philly in week 17. It’s not like we’re the Colts who said, “Hey, we’re going to sit our starters for the final two games because we need them around to win the Super Bowl when we get there.” That’s the kind of situation where a later event can define the meaning of a past decision.

If the Colts don’t make it to the Super Bowl this year, then they will be looked at as chumps – honestly. Them winning the Super Bowl is going to be the difference between being thought to have made a good decision resting starters and preventing injuries, and choking any chance they had of winning, disgracing the sport by not playing to win.

The Cowboys didn’t do that. Even when we had that game in hand last week, we still sent Romo, Barber, Adams, Austin, and every other starter back onto the field until Romo took a knee to run the clock out with under 2 minutes remaining.

It’s not like with the Patriots who decided to play hard in week 17 and ended up losing their star wide receiver to an injury that would’ve meant IR for him even if it happened in the preseason. They did what they always do and went full throttle for 60 minutes on Sunday, just like any other Sunday before it.

You could argue that they made a choice to keep themselves in a rhythm and try to maintain some momentum heading into the playoffs. Well now if they don’t win the Super Bowl, they’ll be thought less of for not being more cautious with such an important player as Welker going down.

It all comes down to the gambles that a team makes this time of year – if they lose then a firestorm ensues, but if they win, they’re geniuses.

The Cowboys simply went out and played some good football. No lasting injuries, no promises or game plans for Super Bowl glory in a month – they just played some good, hard, NFC East football against a good football team.

Leading up to week 17 it was clear to everyone involved that it was a virtually meaningless game and a big game, all at the same time. Both teams had already been assured a spot in the playoffs after week 16, so there was no type of win-and-you’re-in scenario to be played out.

The Eagles did have something pretty large to play for though as they eyed the shot at a first round bye and the #2 seed in the NFC, which would come with an NFC East Division Championship if they had beaten the Cowboys.

The Cowboys started their day out with those same accolades in sight, that is until Minnesota beat the Giants in the noon game. Then it became a shot at the #3 seed and home-field advantage for the wild card round, as well as the NFC East title.

To the Eagles, who were riding a six game winning streak, that game, aside from all playoff scenarios, just didn’t mean that much more than another game against a long time foe. But for Dallas it was more than that. After having lost nine season finales in a row, going more than a decade since winning a playoff game, and adorning one of the most repugnant December swoons in league history; and after handing the Saints their first loss of the season followed by a shutout against another NFC East rival, albeit one in sad shape and merely a week away from firing their head coach, this game was a chance to go out and show everybody something we hadn’t seen since players numbered 8, 22, and 88 marched us down the field time and time again.

This was a big game for Dallas, and a huge win. It put the NFL on notice that the Cowboys were playing strong, and the shutout simply added the brief message, “Fear Us.”

But that game was that game – just a week 17 regular season finale. It wasn’t a heat race, and it wasn’t a qualifier. It was a brilliant win against a tough Eagles team.

This Saturday at 7pm will be the start of another game against a tough NFC East rival, and this time there are no silly scenarios to work out, no small consolations such as a bye week or home-field advantage to play for – this time it’s for the whole season.

Lose and you go home. Win and you move on to the next round.

And then, just as now, the game preceding will not be made any less important or well played because of this week’s performance. It simply will be another game won, or lost.

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Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Roundup. This week I had the opportunity to speak with Jimmy from Music City Miracles the top rated Tennessee Titans blog, and discuss this week’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tennessee Titans.

We exchanged five questions with each other, and below you will find what Music City Miracles had to say in response to our questions. Then switch over there to see what we had to say to their questions.

(1)   In the Off Season the Titans were not able to retain the services of Albert (I like to stomp on peoples heads) Haynesworth. How will his departure change the dynamics of the team and more so the defense in particular?

It won’t change things as much as people think.  The Titans were already heavily using a rotation at the defensive tackle spot and will continue to do so.  They obviously do not have a guy as talented as Haynesworth in that rotation, and you could argue that no one else in the NFL does either, but they think they can replace the production with the guys they have.

(2)   I have never really “gotten up” for a Pre Season game, but many Cowboy followers including myself believe that this game means a ton as far as the development of the team. What is the overall feel of the Titan fanbase towards this game?

It is a preseason game.  The Vince Young people are hoping he gets some time with the first team, but other than that it will just be another preseason game.

(3)   I keep hearing that the Titans want Vince Young to become a better passer and not rely on his legs so much, but then when he gets in to play the plays selected for him seem to be primarily boot legs, and option plays, do the Titans have a plan for him? Or are they simply going through the motions until they can release him?

The plays called for him are not primarily boot legs and option plays.  Do they run more of that stuff with him than Collins? Sure, but there is an obvious reason for that.I can assure they are not just going through the motions until they release him.  They honestly feel that they have a team capable of winning the Super Bowl, and they are one injury to a 36 year old quarterback away from counting on VY.  It would be dumb to give up on him considering how small the window is for winning a championship in this league.

(4)   Who are some of the Titans that Cowboy fans should keep an eye on in this game?

The Titans have a very talented rookie class that is headlined by first round wide receiver Kenny Britt, third round tight end Jared Cook, and fifth round running back Javon Ringer.  All 3 of those guys have made big plays in camp and games so far.

(5)   Last year the Cowboys were given a ticket to the Super Bowl before the season ever started and we all know how that worked out! The Titans however were somewhat of a surprise. Can the Titans pick up where they left off last year to make another push for the trophy? And if they can what aspect of their game is going to allow them to do so?

I honestly believe they can.  Jeff Fisher knows what it takes to get these guys back to the level they played at last season.

I also believe the offense will be a lot more potent this season with the editions of Nate Washington, Britt, Cook and a drastically slimmed down LenDale White.  This should be more than enough to compensate for the loss of Albert.

Bonus: All of us here at Dallas Cowboys Nation would like to send our thoughts and prayers to the McNair family and the Tennessee Titans and all of their fans for the loss of Steve McNair.

Once again a big thank you to Jimmy and the guys over at Music City Miracles, and be sure you all head over there to see our answers and leave them some good natured comments, and keep it clean folks!

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- First order of business, Michael Vick. Tired of it yet? Here is my deal. The dude did something that was completely disgusting, I agree. However, he did his time. He doesn’t deserve the extra headaches. Give the dude a chance, if he messes up again then let him have it. When did football go from being a game about strong smash mouth football, to a game about public affairs and fan acceptance. Get the hell out of here with that weak crap. Football is Football, that why we love it, you want glamour and fame? Watch basketball.

- According to multiple sources, Owen Daniel is lobbying to be the highest paid tight end in the league. Seriously? You’re not even a top 3 tight end in this league my friend. Why don’t’ you quit your crying, you don’t hear Jason Witten crying about his contract!

- On a more serious note, we all know that the Cowboys/Eagles rivalry has only intensified over the years. However, my most sincere prayers and wishes go with the family of Defensive Coordinator Jimmy Johnson, who has been a defensive mastermind within the NFL with his baffling blitz packages. Best luck to him, his family, his replacement Sean McDermott, and the Eagles organization who has been a class act in supporting Coach Johnson and his family.

- Lastly, I was reading an article on Foxsports.com about training camp battles for Super Bowl contenders and much to my surprise the Cowboys were not listed. It is here I realized a lot of football “experts” have sincere doubts about Dallas. If you’re buying into this crap, stop! The Cowboys are a good team, in a whirlwind of a division. Expect the unexpected this year!

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Do you think Tony Romo is distracted by fame? Maybe you feel like Romo is in his make or break season, or just maybe, you think Romo is far overrated.  The chances that you can relate to these statements is about 90 percent.  I say that strictly because where ever you look 9 out of 10 fans are bashing Romo’s very existence.

Just recently I was rummaging through DC.com and read Mick’s latest article “Pressure Cooker” and it inspired me to do a little digging.  You see, Romo’s lack of post season production isn’t as frightening as one might imagine.  Though the outcry of fans would produce a different story.  I simply decided to compare the ever so scrutinized Romo with other NFL greats.  The results were just as I expected, Romo was leading the pack and the fair weather fans arguments were proven to be ridiculous.

Clearly these statistics place Romo on comparable status with HOF caliber Quarterbacks.  So what gives? Why the criticism? I accredit it to one of two scenario’s.  1) The fans of today are too idiotic to realize that football is a game of growth and maturity and not a game of instantaneous success, and their ignorance far surpasses the need to gather information and statistics to help them understand the game, or 2) Tony Romo is simply just another victim of Dallas Cowboys Nation.  I can only really offer an explanation for one, since I can’t change the disposition of fans.

The Cowboys microscope has been in effect since the 70′s when Tom Landry decided to go with Roger Staubach as his starter over Craig Morton.  It then continued with Danny White, and claims of Troy Aikman “going soft” before winning another Super Bowl in 1995.  This to me says that no matter how talented and skilled a quarterback is, as a Cowboy he is doomed to being faced with the troubles of Hollywood. Here is where the problem lies, fans easily forget or become blind to the talent that truly lies in the quarterback that is leading their team.  Romo has displayed strong abilities in arm strength, pass accuracy, mobility, and throwing on the run, which elevates him to one of the only true balanced quarterbacks in the league.

It is my firm opinion that if Romo was on a handful of other teams he would be referred to as a gem and most certainly a franchise quarterback.  We need to realize the facts, we need to open our eyes, and realize that Romo is a worthy and talented leader for this team.  Facts speak for themselves.

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So apparently Brandon Jacobs (or BJ as I like to call him when he starts running his mouth, hey it fits) has decided to grace us with his opinions yet again, and this time he’s going right after Tony Romo.

“I don’t think he’s that good a passer, to be honest with you.” – Straight from the horses mouth.

I read about this over on the Dallas Morning News blog while I was at work tonight, and as I scrolled down the page reading the comments to that post seeing so many opinions on who we’d rather have between Romo and Eli Manning, it got me to thinking, who’s really got more bragging rights?

Okay so Manning has a Super Bowl ring, but did he beat the Patriots all by himself or was it a team effort in which he merely avoided screwing up too badly to recover from?

So let’s take a look at the two over the last three seasons. Though I do want to mention that if you take each of their careers, though the same length Manning played a lot his first two while Romo didn’t, Romo has a better completion percentage, average yards per completion, and rating – just saying.

I know there are those of you who feel that stats are worthless, or at least worthless alone. Sure Manning has won in the post season; some of you same folks also act like post season success is all that matters. Yeah it’s the one thing Manning has that Romo doesn’t – but Manning was on a team that was clicking all year long.

But what if we had caught the luck that Tyree had on that Hail Mary, then the Giants would have lost in their first round. The cards fell the other way though. Does that mean Manning is better than Romo? Hell no!

Those stats show one thing – Romo is consistently better than Manning by recorded stats in every column. And keep in mind that these stats have Romo on three less games than Manning. That may make it easier to win some of the percentages, but not when Romo also beats Manning on the yards, sacks, touchdowns, interceptions, etc. etc.

So yeah, Jacobs can say all he wants about Romo not being that great of a passer, because if it’s true then it just means his QB sucks even worse!

I happen to agree with him on that point though. Romo has a good arm and a quick release, but in the pocket is not where he is most effective. Usually his pocket is collapsing around him and not many quarterbacks in history have been able to consistently deliver in a failing pocket. Romo makes plays.

All I can think is of when I was a teenager and played football – it was always a lot damn harder to throw accurately and downfield on the run than it was setting up in the pocket.

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I’ve noticed that there are plenty of lists going out lately. Most of which shed no respect to Cowboys players who have rightfully earned it. So to fulfill the appetite of you fans I’ve created a list of the Best Cowboys of the last 15 Years. .. So get ready!

1 Emmitt Smith-The leagues leading rusher. Smith proved to be a “Go to guy” by coupling hard nose, downhill running with incredible durability. With 3 Super Bowl rings, Smith may be the most noticeable player in Dallas Cowboys History.

2 DeMarcus Ware- Perhaps the most naturally talented player to emerge on this defense in years, Ware consistently strikes fears into opposing offensive coordinators. Ware has increased his sack total in each of his 3 seasons ending with 20 last year. There is no signs of slowing down which is good news for this defense!

3 Troy Aikman- Concussion Troy can’t be forgotten for all the marvelous things he did in Dallas. He was a model field general, orchestrating 3 Super Bowl victories and becoming the Cowboys all time leading passer with 32,942 yards.

4 Darren Woodson- The one player that ANY of us would give ANYTHING to have back. Darren Woodson played the secondary perfectly forcing 23 interceptions. He was the backbone in many great defenses and earned a reputation as one of the fiercest safeties in the league.

5 Michael Irvin-A distraction? Sure. However, Michael’s production was unmatched. He averaged over 15 yards per gain and had over 60 touchdowns in his career. He was a consistent target who was reliable and a HOF athlete.

6 Larry Allen- A big strong offensive lineman who was versatile in his play. At 325 lbs he was an immovable force and a good reason for Emmitt’s success.

7 Jason Witten- Witten is a Blue Collar, Smash mouth player who has, in my opinion, defined the future play of tight ends. He blocks well, He’s intelligent, and He’s a bigger threat in the passing game then most receivers, He can shed tackles, and he’s not afraid to throw his body around.

8 Tony Romo- Though under constant scrutiny, he has produced more 300 yard passing games then any quarterback in Dallas history in 3 years. With a 64 percent completion rate, and a ratio or 2 td’s to 1 interception, his regular season play is comparable to some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time (Coming soon: a comparison against Peyton, Aikman, and Young in there first 4 years) I believe that given the opportunity, Romo will thrive in future playoff appearances.

9 Deion Sanders- Prime time, Sanders electrified the field with his wonderful coverage, ability to force interceptions for touchdowns, and punt returning skills. Sanders had abilities that we will forever miss and may not see for years to come.

10 Terrence Newman- Not Deion Sanders, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily worse. Terrence doesn’t produce stats like some of the other elite DB’s but that’s because he’s never really tested. He is a shut down corner with speed and game breaking ability. He will be the staple in this defense for years to come.

11 Greg Ellis- A bitter end to this story. Greg has given his all to this team and that has to be respected. He was a feared defensive end, but an even more devastating OLB with the ability to get to the passer; he’s registered 77 career sacks with the Cowboys.

12 Daryl Johnston- The moose led the way for Emmitt throughout his career… Enough said.

13 Dat Nguyen- Nguyen solidified the middle linebacker slot in his second year after leading the team in special teams tackles the first. His run stopping ability and hard hitting made him well known throughout the league. If it weren’t for a disc injury, Dat would be along Bradie James, supporting the same number 1 defense he helped solidify in 2003.

14 Marion Barber- A hardnosed runner this team hasn’t seen since Smith. After going through Troy Hambricks stages and a little flash of Cason, Barber was a breath of fresh air. He has become a “Closer” and has the talent to become a franchise back and league leader.

15 Flozell Adams- Though penalty prone, Flozell has provided stability to the offensive line in Larry Allen’s Absence. He is big, strong, and mobile. He also uses his hands well and is also a talented blocker. An excellent round out to this list.

**Notable Mention** George Teague- For his incredibly memorable hit on Terrell Owens, when Owens was boastfully disrespecting the star.

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Despite the suffering I endured, I learned quite a bit about the little things in football. In a season where your expectations are marginal, you tend to not question all the bad things that can happen in a given season because you expected them. In 2007 my expectations were actually pretty low. Sure we were in the Play Offs the year prior, but we were all aware of our limitations at CB and so I felt are defense was going to get torched every week. My expectations came equipped with knowledge that this team was incomplete and could be exploited.

But in 2008, there wasn’t a weakness to be found, for the exception of behind the QB and, hey, it’s Romo, he doesn’t get sacked. He’s elusive. He’s got a feel for the pocket. He knows how to avoid the defensive rush. Blah, blah, blah. CB was more than fortified with a healthy Newman and the additions of Pacman, Jenkins and Scandrick. Safety was manned by 2 Pro Bowlers. The LB’s and DL had a decent rotation. It was going to be the return of the Dooms Day defense coupled with an offense that outscored every team in the league the year prior. My expectations, needless to say, left no room for any excuses for failure, for the exception of injury.

And then injuries happened, but still…I had questions. And a good many of those questions were answered by my incessant need to feed off all things Dallas Cowboy’s football related in any sports site available. And believe me, despite all that I already knew about this game I love, I learned so much more than all my years combined in this season alone because of this failure to my expectations. What did I learn?

You can’t buy a Super Bowl. My boyhood perception of how the Cowboy’s played other teams was somewhat skewed. I felt, they didn’t simply win. They man-handled their opponents. I’m not sure how I missed it, but in hindsight, those games were hard. Every one of them was a mountain for that team to climb. My memories of Emmitt Smith play out like a highlight reel. But not every run Smith made yielded yards. Not every game was won with Emmitt’s feet. Irvin didn’t make the acrobatic catch to win every game. Aikman, in his time, wasn’t considered a great quarterback with the likes of Dan Marino, Joe Montana, John Elway, Jim Kelly, Phil Simms, Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon and Boomer Esiason playing at that time. They were in fact fallible. And character, well, the undesirables were starters on that roster too. . But everyone played and played hard. They worked together. It wasn’t exactly what you would call a great composition of talent, either. There were players playing above their station, as the Super Bowl MVP of 1995 might have indicated.

I learned about the power of belief. Belief is a strong word in the world of football. I watched the interview of Ray Lewis prior to the Baltimore game assured in my own belief that the Cowboy’s would win having the stronger offense in a game that featured two very stout defenses. But after the interview, I had my doubts. Why? You could see that Ray Lewis believed. And since we all know that he is what makes that defense play beyond their individual reputations, I knew that entire defense believed too. And then, when I saw their offense play with that same sense of entitlement to the win in this game, absolute dread seeped in. And harder still about that game is the Cowboys repeatedly gave me hope in that fourth quarter, only to see those hopes crashed on a shore of missed tackles and missed opportunities.

It reminded of something I remember seeing throughout that successful 2007 season. Remember Romo’s smile? Sure I wrote several articles about the power of his smile and how the offense seemingly played better when he wore that on his face. But I never really delved in, I don’t think, into what that smile meant. But I think we all know that ultimately it meant he believed. He believed in the plays being called, the players that surrounded him, and his ability to do whatever he wanted with that ball without contention. A fumble here, an interception there, but the next time we saw him in the huddle, there was that infectious smile again saying something like “Hey, will get them this time.” And typically he was right. He generally always followed up a bone headed mistake with something to make you forget all about it.

Throughout the offseason following the draft and through the preseason I had a sliver of a doubt about rather or not this collective of talent could play as a team. But that doubt was constantly assuaged away with sports analyst abroad stating with utter confidence this Cowboys team was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Like no team I have heard about in the preseason in years prior, this Cowboys team was the talk of the town with their impressive role call at training camp. This highlighted by the Hard Knocks crews turned the Cowboys into the ultimate Hollywood team. And with that, I wondered what type of effect it would have on these Cowboys. But I wanted to believe what they sold us: That’s part of being a member of the Cowboys. You have to get used to that attention because the Cowboys are America’s team. I learned that no football team is bulletproof to distraction; no body is immune to acting different under the encouragement of the stage lights. These guys, million dollar contract or not, are just like any of us.

The Texans in years past with David Carr under center taught us about how important the Offensive Line is, regardless of the other talent present on the field. But once again I made the mistake of believing irresponsible sports analyst who stated that the Cowboys OL are only second to the Browns, in terms of strength. Then, as the season progressed, I learned how he came to that determination; not through observation, but pure stats and a popularity contest known as the Pro Bowl. How effective were the passing and running games in the year prior? How often did the QB get sacked? Of these players, who went to the Pro Bowl? The first two questions could be answered naming one player: Tony Romo. He made both Jason Garrett and the Offensive Line look great in 2007! I was there; I saw it.

The last question answered itself over time. The Pro Bowl, unfortunately, take’s 1/3 of fans votes. And let’s face it, how many fans vote for players outside of their team? A huge bias is in place in the voting, and well, it pretty much has rendered the game to serving as an ability for a ‘popular’ player to petition for more money on his contract. But because some sport’s analyst from a credible source said my OL was great and I wanted to believe it, my questions of this assessment initially didn’t go very far…not until their performance demanded I do so. And to be honest, I was disgusted. Because I watched these players in the offseason and I saw that they thought very highly of themselves for all the recognition getting poured on them when any Cowboy faithful who watched the 2007 season should know these accolades were completely undeserved.

And so it is in the game football. Fans and analyst alike are not impervious to misleading concepts. As a fan I don’t watch every game and can’t expect a sport analyst to watch every game of the previous season for every team he decides to write an opinion on. But the ultimate lesson here, regardless of whose formula it is that measures performance, they are all based on stats which doesn’t always tell the whole story.

This leads me to my next lesson learned. The media is a monster; the worse kind of monster. Remember Aliens with Sigourney Weaver? The media is that kind of monster. You see, their pretty dangerous in their own right, but then their articles act like those spider-looking creatures with tails (or tales if you prefer) that plant little eggs in you which hatch and create more monsters. See the parallel? Then we get all these disciples regurgitating what was said by a previous reporter with an anonymous source and the epidemic spreads.

Which brings me to the last lesson.

In the wanning moments of that dreadful season, everyone had an opinion of who should be fired, who should be released, and who should change as a player or coach. I’ve offered my opinion on these drastic changes a few times myself. Some have even suggested the Cowboys owner Jerry Jones should fire the Cowboys GM Jerry Jones and have started a fund raiser requesting donations of $5 or more to put said request on billboards throughout the city.

Word? You think that might work? Sorry, I sense an epic fail in the making. Maybe if it was just a strange coincidence that both these individuals had the same name, just maybe, that would work. But we are talking about a wealthy man who made his money in oil. I’m sure he saw plenty of billboards suggesting he fire himself to save the environment and we all see how well he took that suggestion. He bought a football team with his earnings. He didn’t spend it repairing the environment or donating it all to some note worthy cause, though I’m sure he’s made a few contributions here and there that is not a drop in the bucket to his accumulative wealth; he purchased a football franchise to live out the ultimate Fantasy Football League and has been doing so now for twenty years.

So, write your letters. Sing your songs. Make your jokes. But know your role. As a fan, you are static. Your opinion does not effect change even if you have a plane with a huge banner circle Jerry Jones mansion. I have said it before: That is the rub of being a fan of anything in general; you share in the success and failures of outcomes you have nothing to do with as a spectator. It is a frustrating existence when your team loses. But the human condition forces us to believe that we can control all things, which is why we argue, debate, fight, and go to war. This concept in life is bigger than just the game of football. It affects everyone and everything around us. And when you broaden your view to see the big picture and all that it encompasses, such as the war, the suffering that surrounds us, the news filled with inhumanity in a world dominated by humans (irony intended), things like a losing season of your favorite football team seems so small. And that is the biggest lesson of them all…

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Dallas Cowboys Football; was there ever a better hobby or pastime? Not for me, aside from family of course, and as we near the midway point in June, and these OTAs wrap up before the minicamp starts, I’ve still got a ways to go before my next Cowboys football fix.

It’s nothing to fret over though, not when we have such brilliant “expert” analysis and coverage as we do from the likes of Fox no less. More specifically, let’s talk about Peter Schrager and his list of the “Top 99 players for ’09” – moreover his brown nose special, as I call it.

I’m betting that most of you have heard of it already from the DMN where we learned that only four Cowboys made the list at all. I know many commenters over there were hung up more on where each of those four players were ranked, but there is something to be said for those that didn’t rank at all.

I mean you’ve got Jay “The Rat” Ratliff first and foremost who wasn’t selected to the list. I guess it’s a fair assumption to say that these types of lists usually are directed more at the offensive guys since it’s offense that’s counted on to score touchdowns, but it’s defense that wins games. There are always exceptions to that rule, such as last year in the first match up between the Cowboys and Eagles with a total score of 78 points during that game. But rarely does a pro football game turn out to be a homerun derby anymore.

But let’s take a guy like Albert Haynesworth and put him up against Ratliff for a moment here, and I’m only talking about 2008 regular season stats here. Haynesworth got a top rating of 14 while Ratliff didn’t even make the list. Both are defensive tackles, both have several years of experience. We could go into the vitals here, but size doesn’t always matter if there is solid production, and both guys obviously perform each week.

• Haynesworth hasn’t played more than 14 games in a season since 2002 while Ratliff hasn’t played less than 15 games in a season since his rookie year.
• Haynesworth had 51 total tackles in 2008; Ratliff also had 51 total tackles.
• Haynesworth registered 8.5 sacks to Ratliff’s 7.5 sacks.
• Ratliff’s sacks netted him 56.5 negative yards while Haynesworth only managed 52.5 with an extra sack.
• The only real benefit I see that Haynesworth has over Ratliff is having forced 3 fumbles to Ratliff’s zero, no forced fumbles.
• Ratliff deflected 5 passes and Haynesworth deflected 2 passes.
• They both recovered 1 fumble each.

I look at the numbers, the actual production of each man, and to me it seems more than just a little one-sided for Haynesworth to make any top X list when Ratliff doesn’t. It’s not a bias on my part, it’s just simple math. You have one guy that is great against the run and in getting pressure, and another guy who good against the run, great at getting pressure, and even gets into the passing game.

It’s only worse for picking Haynesworth since his numbers are significantly higher from last year than in years prior. It was a contract year, and as we all know, he has his $100 million dollars now. Ratliff has been playing like he has and hasn’t faced a contract situation yet. Anyone else really interested to see what he does in a contract year?

But the farce goes on though. DeMarcus Ware headlined the Cowboys’ effort on this list making it in at 6, with Tony Romo following behind him in a distant second at 28’th place. Now Ware, well no one for any team would argue that he deserves at least that high of a ranking. Not only are his numbers great, his attitude positive, and his ability tremendous – but his character is high as well. Being the overall sack leader since being drafted helps too.

Romo is another story. It’s a positive of this list in my mind because while there are a lot of bad things to be said for Romo from last season, there are many good things as well. I actually would have expected a much lower rating given the abundant criticism of him lately. He’s a quarterback though, so he would rank higher overall even though he only ranked 9th among quarterbacks. Putting him behind McNabb and Carson Palmer though? Seriously?

I know the guy seems to tank in the final stretch, but surely he’s worth a better ranking than Carson Palmer.

Marion Barber and Jason Witten also made the list, and that’s where my next point starts – Jason Witten ranked 96th of 99 by this fruitcake of a journalist/expert/assclown as one commenter stated it.

He was the third tight end to appear on the list behind Antonia Gates and Tony Gonzales. I’ll agree that Gonzales is good, and has been good for many years, but to say that Witten in his early age isn’t as good as the old fogy Gonzales just isn’t practical.

So yet again this year we are seeing how the rest of the NFL nation is rooting against the Cowboys in 2009, and that’s a great thing to see and hear. This time last season the Cowboys were being hyped as the Super Bowl winners, a mightily premature assumption to say the least.

But this year, while we have been favored at one point to win the Super Bowl in certain betting circles, once Owens was cut, the outlook went downhill. Our draft was rated like a D I think by the experts; the experts say we have huge problems facing us in our passing game and call it for both the QB and WR positions.

Yet all the while Roy Williams is still a top caliber receiver who had a bad year. Tony Romo had the same – a bad year that featured a finger injury that sidelined him for three weeks, and limited him for another three after that. He also had the task of dealing with Owens and his unwarranted and loud requests for more touches.

I think Owens, a 13 year veteran at the time, should be quite well aware of how it works in the NFL – if you produce at a high level, then you get more opportunity to produce, and if you continue to produce with the extra opportunities, then you keep getting them.

He just never seemed to understand that past success does not warrant current and future security. He started dropping balls, he started bailing on routes too early, he did get older and therefore slower, and he did forget to adjust his own way of thinking to fit his age and the new limitations that came with it.

Do I think a team can win games with Owens running routes? I sure do – do I think it can happen on any team currently in the NFL? I really don’t. He simply fails to account for the other 10 guys on the field with him at any given point, and that is why he became expendable for unproven and in some cases rarely tested youth in Dallas. He simply overstayed his welcome, and his vocal complaints and inability to really be a team player are to blame.

So in 2009 Romo gets to actually follow the rules of being a top quarterback again. He can go through his reads, he can release quickly, and he can find the open man – whether it is Witten, Barber, Jones, Williams, Crayton, Austin, or Bennett – he can return to being a quarterback again, instead of simply a TO placeholder.

Maybe Williams won’t be as good as Owens was in 2007, it won’t be because he isn’t producing, but rather because other guys will be producing too. There are only so many balls in a game.

But hey it’s June; we are silly and desperate fans who have no clue what’s what, right? We need to be spoon fed just enough crap to sell the papers and attract visitors. I got to admit that it’s a good theory, write enough bad crap and people will go there simply to see if the rumors are true – someone really is that moronic.

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Summer is in full bloom, and that means we are getting ever so close to the beginning of training camp. It is this time of year that has every football fan tied in knots, and I am no different.

While the Cowboys have yet to don anything but shorts and helmets the style of this team is beginning to take focus.

Every team in the NFL is good enough to win the Super Bowl! Or at least that is what they want us to believe. This years Dallas Cowboys are no different, at this moment many of us have very legitimate concerns about the receiver, quarterback, and O-line positions and basically the overall play of the offense.

Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips can tell us all day long that they have faith in the young receivers and that the offense is working hard and coming together, and blah, blah blah! We all know that the majority of that is just a bunch of crap to make us feel warm and fuzzy about the upcoming year!

Let me be clear about something, the offense in my opinion should be as good as and possibly better than last year’s team. I honestly feel and believe that Romo will be a better QB this year, and that Roy Williams can and will do a more than adequate job as the teams #1 receiver, and with the running game that the Boys have this should be enough to carry that side of the ball.

The offensive unit will always be the most glorified, it has all the stars, and scores all the TD’s, but I am here to tell you that if you are an offensive person, and like to see scores in the 40’s each week you are in for a rude awakening.

This is now a control and time of possession unit, we should no longer see play after play of three receivers all running 40 yard triple move routes (not saying we are not going to see these still, just not as many), instead we will see a lot of two tight end sets, short hooks, out routes, slants, and fades, but primarily large amounts of MBIII, Felix, and T-Choice.

There is something taking place on this team that everyone should start paying attention to, THE DEFENSE!!

Granted there has been very minimal contact so far so we cannot quite see the full picture yet, but all the early reports talk about how attacking, and pressure filled this unit is. Mickey Spagnola at DC.com had a great article up on Tuesday about this very thing. Here is my rookie attempt at designing a graphic that shows the alignment!

In his article he went into pretty in depth detail about how the defense was lined up at one point in the day, and I must tell you this type of scenario is going to cause major headaches for opposing offenses.

Everyday it seems I hear about the competitions taking place on the defensive side of the ball, and each and every one of these guys are pushing each other to be the best. This unit already has there competitive juices boiling over, and its FREAKING JUNE!

This unit is priming itself to have a major impact not only within the team, but they are looking to, in the immortal words of Ebby Calvin ‘Nuke” LaLoosh “Announce their presence with authority!”

We have all heard the old saying “where there is smoke there is usually fire!” all I can say is that the defense of the Dallas Cowboys has had a ton of smoke emitting from its smoke stack!

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How long should the regular season be? It’s an issue often discussed among fans and NFL members alike … should the season be longer? The majority opinion seems to be no since it would put an added strain on players that are already battling through bumps and bruises over 16 games in the regular season, then you add the pre-season into the mix and it just seems cruel.

But the latest discussions seem to be focusing on the idea of a trade-off between the two, converting a pre-season game or two into regular season games so the overall schedule is still the same.

Roger Goodell has his take on the situation, but it appears that he is more worried about profit than anything. You see it’s hard to justify the NFL’s current pricing for pre-season games when the starters rarely play more than three quarters in a pre-season game, and even that’s beyond the norm aside from one game.

It’s a valid point too; tickets cost just as much for less performance and less stakes. Even season ticket holders have to pay full price those games, so it begs the question, should a pre-season game be converted to a regular season game?

The proposed idea has either been switching one or two games over, which will add to the number of regular season games without adding any extra games to the whole season. But in reality it actually does add to the whole season for the teams, not in that they have to play an extra game, but that they have to compete at a professional level for an extra game.

That’s another four quarters bone jarring hits that take a toll on the players. Another 60 minutes of stress on player’s bodies that adds up by the time the playoffs roll around. That’s another 60 snaps that the coaches have to plan and scheme for. The question is whether or not it’s justified to put that burden on teams.

I won’t sit here behind my little desk and pretend that I know the answer; truthfully I doubt anyone has the right answer on this subject. Owners stand to gain an extra $4 million in profit from even one game being converted, while teams would have to battle through an extra game trying to make it to the Super Bowl.

Personally I believe that we could use one more regular season game and one less pre-season game, but even I realize the consequences of such an adjustment. I cringe just like the next guy when players are hurt on the field. It’s my biggest problem with Philly fans, is that when Irvin broke his neck 10 years ago in Philly, those fans were cheering as he lay still on the ground. Every fan in football should be sympathetic to a player being hurt, no matter what team they play for, no matter what’s on the line, play-offs, super bowl title, or otherwise.

These guys go out and literally risk their lives and health for our entertainment, and unfortunately, that is not without consequence for some in the short term, and all in the long term.

It’s not just because of the length of the schedule that these things come up, though. It’s my opinion that the current format for bye weeks is in need of adjustment, with or without changing the number of regular season games.

No team should have a bye week before week 5, anything before that not only makes for an extended stretch of week after week abuse to end the season, but it guarantees injuries and poor performance in the playoffs. With the change of date and venue for the Pro Bowl in next year, it’s even more evident as it’s expected that few true starters will agree to play in the game if it’s played a week before the Super Bowl. Effectively making the Pro Bowl a free-for-all game instead of an All-Star game, putting more stock into being elected to the Pro Bowl than actually participating in it.

So think bye week assignments should only span from week 5 to week 14, even with the current 16 game schedule. Beyond that it’s wondered if the pre-season is even needed at all anymore.

Nowadays players are less likely to need exhibition games to get back into shape after an off-season since teams generally start off-season conditioning programs before the draft in April, and they now go through multiple voluntary workouts, OTA’s, and mini-camps before even attending the mandatory training camp. In all, there are plenty of reasons why the concept of a pre-season is just outdated and unnecessary.

Then again, would anyone argue that the pre-season games helped Matt Cassel prepare for a season as the starter in New England after seeing Brady go down in week one? How about all the guys trying to earn a starting spot, or simply more playing time in general, with good performances in exhibition games? Are not pre-season games invaluable to teams for those reasons?

It’s a sticky subject that has plenty of sound logic on both sides on the fence, and while it would set a new precedent for the NFL, should it not be the players, coaches, and owners deciding what happens to the schedule next? The owners, with the few exceptions the likes of Jerry Jones and Al Davis, have little to do with weekly team operations and arguably are not the best representatives in a debate such as this.

Then again, maybe it’s all mute and nothing will come of the talks this year. It only means that it’ll be discussed again next year. But you guys tell me, how many pre-season games should be re-designated as regular season games?

You can also comment below if you have a more varied opinion than what a poll can let you describe.

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You know, since the season ended, you’ve been offered dozens upon dozens of articles and columns from journalists and bloggers alike with the top five or ten, or whatever number, things that the Cowboys must do to bounce back from the woes that buried them in 2008. A season that ended with the unsightly demise of the team’s final shreds of hope in Philly.

So here’s the top ……. You know what? I don’t know how many things we’re going to come up with here for the Cowboys to do this off-season, I mean in addition to what they’ve already done of course. So we’re going to take a stab at it from a more site-wide perspective and let the number fall where it may. Here’s what the Cowboys need to do before August:

1. It’s obvious, but playing as a team is potentially the best thing they can do. No more appeasing wide receivers who want the ball more, no more trying to prove who can do what and journalists wrong in their doom and gloom opinions. It’s time to step up and give everything you have every game, to play for your teammate as though your life depends on it.
2. Because their life sort of does depend on it, or their livelihood rather. Now that Jerry Jones has cut Terrell Owens, it should be crystal clear to all the players that who you are, what you can do, and what you bring to the game on the field doesn’t matter. If Jerry can cut T.O. then he can cut anyone on that team, and that message needs to be replayed through the P.A. system at Valley Ranch for the next five months.
3. Finding the proper motivation to go and out win some ballgames can be a challenging task nowadays, but it should be simple. These players all want a Super Bowl, and we’ve just gotten a real good demonstration of how a 9-7 team can reach the Super Bowl and lose it by so little … use that to motivate these players.
4. Now that Owens is gone and that message from #2 is still resonating in everyone’s mind, stop overpaying the players! It’s time to go by market value and if a player doesn’t like it, he can go elsewhere. Cutting Owens just proves to him that it’s not a matter of if he’ll be cut for being selfish or greedy, but when. Fear is a great motivator.
5. Be mean. It’s time for Colombo and Ratliff and Davis and Newman and … everyone … to get mean on the field. Start dominating the field and even the players that can’t dominate, act like it cause you’ll play harder that way. Get mad, show some emotion and go after the hit like that guy just beat your sister! It’s time to make the rest of the league fear the amount of talent on this team.
6. Someone has got to step up and lead this team. Even if Wade didn’t resemble a puppet and Garrett wasn’t too afraid of stepping on anyone’s toes, they can’t lead this team. It needs to be a player that does it and there is none better for the job than the quarterback. Troy Aikman never hung his head in shame after a bad play, he yelled across the field so that whoever just screwed up could hear him over the crowd noise! It’s time for Romo to find his outdoor voice and tell everyone very loudly when they screw up, including himself.
7. Fans need to bring their outdoor voices to games too! What is the point of home field advantage if the fans don’t do their part? Fans at games should leave a game calling in sick to work for the next day because they can’t talk anymore. When the team organizes a special deal like a white out, the fans need to go overboard trying to do it. I’m talking about white jerseys, shoes, pants, hell … white faces and hair even.
8. Fans should also stop buying into everything that is reported by ESPN (Everlasting Sorry Pieces of …. Nevermind). ESPN has a reputation for stirring up controversy where there is none, and in the case of Owens prematurely, for a reason, it’s because they do it! Reporters rarely have as many answers as they proclaim and very often a good journalist is one that will fudge a couple of details for a really juicy story. That’s not the hype you should be buying into … it only feeds their narcissistic need to do it again and again and that kind of attention is bad for any team.
9. And finally … when is Darren Woodson going to go all Dat Nguyen on us and become a coach for our struggling secondary? I can only imagine …

Well there you have it … 9 things this team must do to be successful next year. And just so nobody confuses me with any one of these journalists who pretend to have all the answers in five easy steps, these nine things are but nine of the many that need to be done, but these are a good start and in logical order after cutting Owens.

GO COWBOYS!!!

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For anyone that missed it, and I’m talking about the personal foul on James Harrison during the Super Bowl, here’s a brief animated image I found showing the whole deal for you. You can find my original post about it here, and you can find the image on the original author’s site here.

He should have been ejected for this

What a punk .. even I forgot how many times he fouled that dude.

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It’s really starting to bug me that the videos of Santonio Holmes’ winning touchdown catch are being pulled, but even more so that the only video I find being pulled are the ones showing the catch from the back of the end zone.

NBC made sure not to show it, and only showed us the shots from the sidelines and goal line, but there is at least a video out there where the camera is located in the back, which would be to Holmes’ left and in clear view of his feet. More especially the foot that nobody could seem to see touch the ground.

I consider myself to be a smart man, and I know what I saw watching the game. As I’ve said before, you could tell he didn’t get his right foot down because it was hung up on top of his left foot.

But now we have video to prove it, and every time I press play, right after seeing thumbnail to confirm that that video is what I’m looking for, I instead see “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by NFL Properties LLC.“

It’s really suspicious that so many other videos, many of which right beside the video they had pulled, have not been pulled despite falling under the same copyright.

I hate to be the one yelling conspiracy, but how can we see this as anything but a conspiracy? Why won’t the NFL let fans view this video? This one video, a video that could obviously call into question the NFL’s policies about replays and game officiating, a video that could prove the Steelers did not win the Super Bowl.

I want to know what the NFL plans to do about a few issues during that game.

1. Why was there not a review of the Warner fumble with a few seconds remaining?
2. Why was Harrison not thrown out of the game for his outright thug behavior against a defenseless Cardinal player?
3. Why was this catch ruled a catch despite more than enough evidence to the contrary?

And finally, what will they do to show the fans they didn’t rig the game after pulling the only clear evidence proving Holmes didn’t get his other foot down?

Maybe we ought to start a new website just for this … www.HolmesDidntGetHisFootDown.com … that won’t work …

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I try to catch myself being too one-sided because I never like to just look at one side of an argument, but some of this I just can’t help. I also can’t help posting Steelers -vs- Cardinals talk on a Cowboys website either, but we all hate the Pittsburgh Steelers, right?

The fumble at the end of the game. All I heard about it was that the replays were being checked in the booth, and then I see the Steelers kneeling to run the clock out and all I could think was, “Where the hell is the review???”

It was one of the poorest called games I’ve seen in a long time, so bad that the only games worse were back when replay wasn’t used, a certain Super Bowl several years back comes to mind.

That play might have been a fumble, though it looked like he was throwing the ball and that his arm was moving forward with the ball when it came out, but the point is that it should have gotten a full review. Sure, there would have only been 5 seconds on the clock if it had been ruled incomplete, but with Warner, Boldin, Breaston, and of course Fitzgerald, 5 seconds is more than enough to have a shot.

The NFL and the officials calling that game should not only be ashamed, but should be fined for some of the calls they made. At least three calls could easily suggest that someone either got paid well or a nice long BJ before the game, because the Steelers sure did luck out, didn’t they?

Yeah, the Cards didn’t get their top players involved early enough, but they still made up the difference enough for the win, if only for those calls …

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That was such a good game, all the way through. You couldn’t tell for sure who was going to come away with it, but by the end we sure knew the answer.

Maybe I’ll be blasted for trying to find an excuse, but I don’t think that’s what it is. Maybe those refs need better screen on the sidelines, or just better glasses, but that Holmes TD to win it for Pittsburgh was not a catch. Look at his feet, with the way his right foot was lying on top of his left foot, there is no way he could’ve gotten it down.

It would require one foot to be an inch longer than the other, and there was a camera angel that showed it, but maybe it takes more than 50 inches of HD vision to spot it; I don’t know.

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I’ll even concede the fumble with 5 seconds to go even though Warner’s arm was moving forward, his control of the ball was questionable with the ball against his shoulder pad before it popped out.

But there you have it, the Steelers have won a sixth Super Bowl, maybe it was payback for a few years ago with the bad call against the Raiders, who knows.

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I know it’s a little too soon to be redesigning the site already, but I wanted to offer you guys a choice of light or dark. The choice is coming soon, and for now I’ll be leaving it light as a neutral approach. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the new look, if you have any.

Getting ready for the big game tomorrow and just got word from my uncle … a long time, die hard Steelers fan. Maybe I just haven’t gotten over his crap over the years about the Steelers and Cowboys, but I still think the Cards are going to bring it home tomorrow.

Let’s Go Cardinals! You sucked through the season and had the easiest division around, but you’re doing what you have to now, so keep it up.

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Saw something interesting this morning. According to the DC.com Writer’s Block Blog, Former head coach Dan Reeves reportedly told the San Francisco 49ers that he will decline a position on the team in favor of joining the Dallas Cowboys.

No official word as of yet on exactly what that means or even if it’s true, Josh Ellis says it is supposed to be some sort of consulting role that is in the works.

Reeves has coached several teams, but the most notable of which was the Atlanta Falcons. Wade Phillips served as his defensive coordinator in Atlanta and when Reeves was fired during the 2003 season, Phillips was his successor.

Atlanta made a Super Bowl appearance in XXXIII under then head coach Dan Reeves, but lost to the Denver Broncos, another team that Reeves has led in his career. It also would team him together with his son-in-law Joe DeCamillis, who the Cowboys recently hired to run their special teams unit.

He’s always been known as a hard ass, a tough coach that demands a lot from his players, and his character could be a great addition to this team after a year plagued by reports of indiscipline in the Cowboys locker room, practices, and games.

What do you think about bringing in Dan Reeves, and what role do you think he would be best for on this team? Remember that he was interviewing for the OC spot in San Fran, and has a strong offensive background in the league.

Does Garrett stand in the way of him being the OC in Dallas? Should he?

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Super Bowl XLIII – Pittsburgh Steelers -vs- Arizona Cardinals. Starts at 5 p.m. CST.

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